unsolvedmysteriesfandomcom-20200215-history
Jessica Heeringa
Real Name: Jessica Lynn Heeringa Nicknames: No known nicknames Location: Norton Shores, Michigan Date: April 26, 2013 Bio Occupation: Gas Station Clerk Date of Birth: July 16, 1987 Height: 5'1" Weight: 105 pounds Marital Status: Single Characteristics: Caucasian female. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Jessica has various tattoos over her body (a sun and moon on her right calf, sleeping Z's on her left foot, a star on her back and a musical note and a peace sign on her left ankle). Case Details: Twenty-five-year-old Jessica Heeringa was a single mother raising her three-year-old son. She had hoped to go back to college to study accounting. She worked as a clerk at the Exxon Mobile station on Sternberg Road in Norton Shores, Michigan. On Friday, April 26, 2013, she was abducted from the station while working the evening shift. Her last known sale was at 10:54PM; a customer discovered the store abandoned at 11:07PM. The police were called at 11:15PM. When the arrived, they found her cigarettes and lighter next to the cash register. No money or any of her belongings were taken from the store, suggesting to police that she was taken by someone she knew. A small amount of blood was found outside the back door. It was later determined to be hers. A witness reported seeing a suspicious man and vehicle near the back door of the station shortly before she vanished. Another witness reported seeing a man flirting with her. He has never been identified and the case remains unsolved. Suspects: An unidentified man was seen near the back of the gas station shortly before Jessica was abducted. The possible suspect is described as a Caucasian male in his thirties, approximately 6'0", with a medium to heavy build and brown or sandy blond hair. He was seen driving a silver minivan, possibly a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country. It was seen on a surveillance video about a mile away from the station at around 11:04PM. Extra Notes: This case was uploaded to the Unsolved Mysteries website on April 24, 2015. The person interviewed in the video is Jessica's mother, Shelly. It also profiled on Disappeared. Results: Unresolved. In April of 2016, Jeffrey Willis was arrested for attempting to abducting a sixteen-year-old girl. In May of 2016, he was also charged with the 2014 murder of Rebekah Bletsch after ballistics evidence connected him to the crime. Authorities at the time identified him as a person of interest in Jessica's disappearance since he owned a silver minivan similar to the one that was believed to have been driven by her abductor. In his van were several incriminating items, including: rope, leather restraints, chains with handcuffs, insulin, and syringes. He also matched the witness's description of the suspect, down to the "blond-streaked hair". He had apparently frequented the gas station that she vanished from. Finally, in September of 2016, he was charged with her kidnapping and murder. Based on credit card receipts, investigators discovered that Willis had visited the store at least fifteen times prior to Jessica's abduction. Phone records also placed him there just hours before it. When questioned, he told police that he was home at the time. However, phone records placed him near his grandfather’s house, which is close to the store. Following the abduction, he did not show up for work for several days. Near the spot of blood behind the store, investigators found pieces of a laser sight for a gun. It matched one found in Willis’ van; it happened to be missing those same pieces. Its original owner identified the laser sight as belonging to the gun. The gun was also determined to be the murder weapon in Rebekah's case. Investigators also found a folder labeled "VICS" on Willis’ computer. In it were sub-folders about Rebekah and Jessica. He also changed his passwords to "J4L27H13" which includes her initials and the day after her disappearance (in number form). Finally, Willis’ cousin confessed to police that he had seen Jessica’s body at their grandfather’s house. He also claimed that he helped Willis dispose of it. For unknown reasons, he recanted his statement, but later pleaded no contest to helping dispose of her body. In May of 2018, Willis went on trial for Jessica’s kidnapping and murder. He was found guilty on May 16; he was given another mandatory life sentence. Sadly, her body has never been found. Links: * Jessica Heeringa on Unsolved.com * Find Jessica Heeringa Facebook Page * Jessica Heeringa on Wikipedia * Jessica Heeringa on The Charley Project * New lead triggers search for body of Jessica Heeringa * Prosecutor: "Monster" charged in killing of still-missing Michigan woman * Willis’ phone records, cousin’s interview lead to charges in Heeringa murder * One year later: How investigators broke the Jeffrey Willis case * Jeffrey Willis goes on trial for Jessica Heeringa's murder, abduction * Hairstylist: Willis changed the year Heeringa disappeared * Jurors hear defense’s theories in Heeringa trial * Jeffrey Willis found guilty of kidnapping, murdering Jessica Heeringa * Jeffrey Willis guilty of murdering Jessica Heeringa * Jeffrey Willis again sentenced to life in prison, this time in death of Jessica Heeringa ---- Category:Michigan Category:2013 Category:Disappearances Category:Abduction Category:Van-Related Cases Category:Web Exclusive Category:Unresolved